Latest news with #Choudri
Newsweek
7 days ago
- Business
- Newsweek
California High-Speed Rail Project Leader Defies Trump
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The leader of the largest high-speed rail project in the U.S. has said the project will continue despite the Trump administration's withdrawal of funding. Ian Choudri, the CEO of the California High-Speed Rail Authority, said the U.S. "cannot just fail" in trying to use the technology, adding that he would continue to ensure the project remained on track. Newsweek has contacted the California High-Speed Rail Authority for more information via email. Why It Matters Years of delays and an inflated budget have damaged public and political faith in California's high-speed rail project, but the past few years have seen progress, with construction happening throughout the state and tracklaying set to begin later this year. Proponents of the project say that to call if off now, as many of its detractors in the White House desire, would waste years of advancement. That has not stopped President Donald Trump, a long-standing critic of the project, from regularly threatening to take away the federal funding that has been vital to the project's progress—a threat he and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy carried out in July. What To Know In an interview with the Central Valley Daily podcast, Choudri said, "The U.S. cannot just fail on high-speed rail." He added that any large construction project on this scale would take a long period of investment to bear fruit. "That was not done in one year or two years or 10 years," he said, referring to the construction of large-scale projects such as the Big Dig and the interstate highway grid. It "took generations, two or three sometimes," Choudri said, adding that the California high-speed rail project needed "national commitment." "The issues and challenges … were not about how we can build bridges or tunnels or embankments or civil infrastructure, which we have been doing in this country for 300 years," he said, adding that he "came to realize the challenges were outside of that." An Amtrak Pacific Surfliner train from San Diego to San Luis Obispo in Simi Valley, California, on April 6. An Amtrak Pacific Surfliner train from San Diego to San Luis Obispo in Simi Valley, California, on April 6. Getty Images "The [Newsom] administration and the legislature and the folks that I talk to, we would love to have also the federal government commit the same way. Yes, there will be criticism but … the healthiest thing to do is just talk about, 'Hey, what works and what doesn't?' And my job is to go fix that," Choudri said. Last month, the Trump administration officially revoked a $4 billion federal grant, branding the project a "boondoggle" and arguing that it failed to deliver on promises. Shortly after, Governor Gavin Newsom proposed extending the state's cap-and-trade program, which generates about $1 billion annually for the rail, by 15 years to 2045 to ensure funding for the project's immediate future. What People Are Saying Ian Choudri, the CEO of the California High-Speed Rail Authority, previously said in response to the Trump administration's revocation: "Canceling these grants without cause isn't just wrong—it's illegal. These are legally binding agreements, and the Authority has met every obligation, as confirmed by repeated federal reviews, as recently as February 2025. "America's only high-speed rail project underway is fast approaching the tracklaying phase, with 171 miles under active construction and design, 15,500 jobs created, and more than 50 major structures completed. This is no time for Washington to walk away on America's transportation future." What Happens Next The California High-Speed Rail Authority is expected to submit an updated business plan and comprehensive funding strategy to lawmakers in 2026.
New Straits Times
18-07-2025
- Business
- New Straits Times
California sues to challenge Trump's US$4bil high-speed rail clawback
WASHINGTON: California Governor Gavin Newsom on Thursday vowed to fight the "illegal" move by President Donald Trump's administration to cancel more than US$4 billion in federal grants for the state's ambitious but much-delayed high-speed rail project. A lawsuit challenging the rescission as an "arbitrary and capricious" abuse of authority was filed on Thursday in US District Court in Los Angeles by the California High Speed Rail Authority, which oversees the project. Trump's announcement on Wednesday added yet another hurdle to the 16-year effort to link Los Angeles and San Francisco by a three-hour train ride, a project that would deliver the fastest passenger rail service in the United States. Newsom said the move by Trump's Transportation Department came as the high-speed rail project was on the verge of laying track, with "active construction" under way on the initial 171-mile segment between Bakersfield and Merced in California's politically conservative Central Valley. The governor said termination of the grants amounted to "petty, political retribution, motivated by President Trump's personal animus toward California and the high-speed rail project, not the facts on the ground." The rail system, whose first US$10 billion bond issue was approved by California voters in 2008, has built more than 50 major railway structures, including bridges, overpasses and viaducts, and completed more than 60 miles (97 km) of guideway, the governor said. "California is putting all options on the table to fight this illegal action," Newsom said in a statement hours before the lawsuit was filed. The funding cancellation marked the latest confrontation between the Republican president and a Democratic governor widely viewed as a leading contender for his party's 2028 White House nomination. The two men have clashed over issues from transgender athletes and electric car rules to the use of National Guard troops during Los Angeles protests and even egg prices. 'LEGALLY BINDING AGREEMENTS' Ian Choudri, chief executive officer of the California High Speed Rail Authority, said that canceling the federal rail grants "without cause isn't just wrong, it's illegal." "These are legally binding agreements, and the authority has met every obligation, as confirmed by repeated federal reviews, as recently as February 2025," Choudri said, adding that the program has created some 15,500 jobs. The Federal Railroad Administration issued a 315-page report last month finding the project was plagued by missed deadlines, budget shortfalls and questionable ridership projections. Choudri's rail authority has called those conclusions "misguided," saying they failed to reflect "substantial progress made to deliver high-speed rail in California." Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy chided the project for having failed to lay a single mile of track after spending US$15 billion over 16 years. But Choudri said installing track is a final step after land acquisition, environmental clearances and construction of supporting structures. Still, the project has faced its share of setbacks. The San Francisco-to-Los Angeles route was initially supposed to be completed by 2020 for US$33 billion. But the projected cost has since risen to US$89 billion to US$128 billion, and the start of service is estimated no sooner than 2030. As designed, the system would feature electric locomotives traveling at up to 220 mph (354 kph), powered entirely by renewable energy. Planners said it would eliminate 200 million miles driven by vehicles on highways. 'WE HAVE TO PULL THE PLUG' A second phase of the project called for extending the rail line north to Sacramento and south to San Diego. A separate project plans to link Los Angeles and Las Vegas with high-speed rail. Duffy said on Thursday that he was confident the Trump administration will defeat any lawsuit challenging the department's move. "We have to pull the plug," he told reporters outside the department's headquarters. In 2021, Democratic President Joe Biden restored a US$929 million grant for the project that Trump revoked in 2019 during his first term in office after calling the project a "disaster." State Assembly member Corey Jackson, a Southern California Democrat who has questioned the project's soaring costs, said Newsom's call to fight the funding cut could galvanize support for Democrats from organized labor and voters in the area where the first railway jobs would be created despite its Republican leanings. "The people of San Joaquin Valley will now know that their economic engine is coming from the Democratic Party," Jackson said. "This is also a message to our labor friends. Democrats continue to deliver these high-paying jobs. Republicans continue to try to kill them." Rufus Jeffris, senior vice president of the Bay Area Council, a business-sponsored policy group in the San Francisco area, pointed to economic benefits associated with high-speed rail and called the funding cut unfortunate.
India Today
18-07-2025
- Business
- India Today
Newsom vows legal fight as Trump admin pulls $4 billion from high-speed rail project
California Governor Gavin Newsom on Thursday vowed to fight an "illegal" move by President Donald Trump's administration to cancel USD 4 billion in federal grants for the state's ambitious but much-delayed high-speed rail announcement on Wednesday added yet another hurdle to the 16-year effort to link Los Angeles and San Francisco by a three-hour train ride, a project that would deliver the fastest passenger rail service in the United said the move by Trump's Transportation Department came as the high-speed rail project was on the verge of laying track, with "active construction" under way on the initial 171-mile segment between Bakersfield and Merced in California's politically conservative Central Valley. The rail system, whose first USD 10 billion bond issue was approved by California voters in 2008, has built more than 50 major railway structures, including bridges, overpasses and viaducts, and completed more than 60 miles (97 km) of Attorney General Rob Bonta told reporters on Thursday he was "poised to take imminent action" on the issue, indicating the dispute would end up in court."California is putting all options on the table to fight this illegal action," Newsom said in a funding cancellation marked the latest confrontation between the Republican president and a Democratic governor widely viewed as a leading contender for his party's 2028 White House two men have clashed over issues from transgender athletes and electric car rules to the use of National Guard troops during Los Angeles protests and even egg prices.'LEGALLY BINDING AGREEMENTS'Ian Choudri, chief executive officer of the California High Speed Rail Authority, said that canceling the federal rail grants "without cause isn't just wrong, it's illegal.""These are legally binding agreements, and the authority has met every obligation, as confirmed by repeated federal reviews, as recently as February 2025," Choudri said, adding that the program has created some 15,500 Federal Railroad Administration issued a 315-page report last month finding the project was plagued by missed deadlines, budget shortfalls and questionable ridership rail authority has called those conclusions "misguided," saying they failed to reflect "substantial progress made to deliver high-speed rail in California."Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy chided the project for having failed to lay a single mile of track after spending USD 15 billion over 16 years. But Choudri said installing track is a final step after land acquisition, environmental clearances and construction of supporting the project has faced its share of San Francisco-to-Los Angeles route was initially supposed to be completed by 2020 for USD 33 billion. But the projected cost has since risen to USD 89 billion to USD 128 billion, and the start of service is estimated no sooner than designed, the system would feature electric locomotives traveling at up to 220 miles per hour (354 kph), powered entirely by renewable energy. Planners said it would eliminate 200 million miles driven by vehicles on highways.'WE HAVE TO PULL THE PLUG'A second phase of the project called for extending the rail line north to Sacramento and south to San Diego. A separate project plans to link Los Angeles and Las Vegas with high-speed said on Thursday that he was confident the Trump administration will defeat any lawsuit challenging the department's move."We have to pull the plug," he told reporters outside the department's 2021, Democratic President Joe Biden restored a USD 929 million grant for the project that Trump revoked in 2019 during his first term in office after calling the project a "disaster."State Assembly member Corey Jackson, a Southern California Democrat who has questioned the project's soaring costs, said Newsom's call to fight the funding cut could galvanize support for Democrats from organized labor and voters in the area where the first railway jobs would be created despite its Republican people of San Joaquin Valley will now know that their economic engine is coming from the Democratic Party," Jackson said. "This is also a message to our labor friends. Democrats continue to deliver these high-paying jobs. Republicans continue to try to kill them."Rufus Jeffris, senior vice president of the Bay Area Council, a business-sponsored policy group in the San Francisco area, pointed to economic benefits associated with high-speed rail and called the funding cut unfortunate.- Ends
Straits Times
18-07-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
California governor vows to fight Trump's $5.1b high-speed rail rescission
Find out what's new on ST website and app. The announcement added yet another hurdle to the 16-year effort to link Los Angeles and San Francisco by a three-hour train ride. WASHINGTON - California Governor Gavin Newsom on July 17 vowed to fight an 'illegal' move by President Donald Trump's administration to cancel US$4 billion (S$5.1 billion) in federal grants for the state's ambitious but much-delayed high-speed rail project. Mr Trump's announcement on July 16 added yet another hurdle to the 16-year effort to link Los Angeles and San Francisco by a three-hour train ride, a project that would deliver the fastest passenger rail service in the United States. Mr Newsom said the move by Mr Trump's Transportation Department came as the high-speed rail project was on the verge of laying track, with 'active construction' under way on the initial 171-mile segment between Bakersfield and Merced in California's politically conservative Central Valley. The rail system, whose first US$10 billion bond issue was approved by California voters in 2008, has built more than 50 major railway structures, including bridges, overpasses and viaducts, and completed more than 60 miles (97km) of guideway. State Attorney General Rob Bonta told reporters on July 17 he was 'poised to take imminent action' on the issue, indicating the dispute would end up in court. 'California is putting all options on the table to fight this illegal action,' Mr Newsom said in a statement. The funding cancellation marked the latest confrontation between the Republican president and a Democratic governor widely viewed as a leading contender for his party's 2028 White House nomination. The two men have clashed over issues from transgender athletes and electric car rules to the use of National Guard troops during Los Angeles protests and even egg prices. 'Legally binding agreements' Mr Ian Choudri, chief executive officer of the California High Speed Rail Authority, said that canceling the federal rail grants 'without cause isn't just wrong, it's illegal'. 'These are legally binding agreements, and the authority has met every obligation, as confirmed by repeated federal reviews, as recently as February 2025,' Mr Choudri said, adding that the program has created some 15,500 jobs. The Federal Railroad Administration issued a 315-page report in June finding the project was plagued by missed deadlines, budget shortfalls and questionable ridership projections. Choudri's rail authority has called those conclusions 'misguided', saying they failed to reflect 'substantial progress made to deliver high-speed rail in California'. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy chided the project for having failed to lay a single mile of track after spending US$15 billion over 16 years. But Mr Choudri said installing track is a final step after land acquisition, environmental clearances and construction of supporting structures. Still, the project has faced its share of setbacks. The San Francisco-to-Los Angeles route was initially supposed to be completed by 2020 for US$33 billion. But the projected cost has since risen to US$89 billion to US$128 billion, and the start of service is estimated no sooner than 2030. As designed, the system would feature electric locomotives traveling at up to 354kmh, powered entirely by renewable energy. Planners said it would eliminate 200 million miles driven by vehicles on highways. 'We have to pull the plug' A second phase of the project called for extending the rail line north to Sacramento and south to San Diego. A separate project plans to link Los Angeles and Las Vegas with high-speed rail. Mr Duffy said on July 17 that he was confident the Trump administration will defeat any lawsuit challenging the department's move. 'We have to pull the plug,' he told reporters outside the department's headquarters. In 2021, Democratic President Joe Biden restored a US$929 million grant for the project that Trump revoked in 2019 during his first term in office after calling the project a 'disaster'. State Assembly member Corey Jackson, a Southern California Democrat who has questioned the project's soaring costs, said Newsom's call to fight the funding cut could galvanise support for Democrats from organised labour and voters in the area where the first railway jobs would be created despite its Republican leanings. 'The people of San Joaquin Valley will now know that their economic engine is coming from the Democratic Party,' Mr Jackson said. 'This is also a message to our labour friends. Democrats continue to deliver these high-paying jobs. Republicans continue to try to kill them.' Mr Rufus Jeffris, senior vice-president of the Bay Area Council, a business-sponsored policy group in the San Francisco area, pointed to economic benefits associated with high-speed rail and called the funding cut unfortunate. REUTERS
Newsweek
08-07-2025
- Business
- Newsweek
California High-Speed Rail Reveals New Plan To Save Project
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The California High-Speed Rail project, long beset by rising costs, delays, and political conflict, revealed a new plan led by its recently appointed CEO, Ian Choudri, that relies on $1 billion in annual state funding combined with private capital to help keep the project afloat. Choudri, who took charge of the High-Speed Rail Authority in August, explained during an interview at a transportation conference in San Francisco, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, emphasizing the potential of public-private partnerships to move the rail initiative forward. Why It Matters While the construction of the California high-speed rail advances across the Central Valley, it has faced growing doubts from the federal government. President Donald Trump has criticized the project, previously calling it a "waste" and a "green disaster." Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has also expressed doubts, citing concerns over the escalating costs and extended timeline, both of which have exceeded initial projections. An aerial image shows construction workers building the Hanford Viaduct over Highway 198 as part of the California High Speed Rail (CAHSR) transit project in Hanford, California on February 12, 2025. An aerial image shows construction workers building the Hanford Viaduct over Highway 198 as part of the California High Speed Rail (CAHSR) transit project in Hanford, California on February 12, 2025. Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images What To Know Choudri's proposal centers on securing $1 billion annually from the state's climate emissions program, a fund typically allocated to clean energy initiatives such as public transit and electric vehicles, the Chronicle reported. "We are looking at state-level commitments so that we can bring private equity partners in," Choudri said in San Francisco while attending the American Public Transportation Association conference. The approach aims to establish a stable base of government support that can attract private investors to finance the remaining costs as the project advances. Industry partners see several revenue opportunities, including ticket sales and commercializing long corridors of railway rights-of-way. "There are significant ways to monetize (and) commercialize long linear rights of way," said Sia Kusha, senior vice president of Plenary Americas, which has experience in public-private infrastructure projects. Another option presented by former chair of the U.S. High-Speed Rail Association Dan Richard was the possibility of auctioning operational rights for the Central Valley segment after attracting an initial customer base—a strategy that has precedent in Japan's Shinkansen rail privatization, the Chronicle reported. What People Are Saying U.S. High Speed Rail Association former chair Dan Richard said, according to the San Francisco Chronicle: "There's always been a desire to have the private sector involved at the right time, when the risk is understood." In a recent statement, the California High-Speed Rail Authority said: "Construction progresses every day on the California high-speed rail project. In addition to continued progress across the Central Valley, the Authority also announced the completion of four grade separations at Fargo Avenue and Whitley Avenue in Kings County, and at Belmont Avenue and Central Avenue in Fresno County... "Since the start of high-speed rail construction, the project has created more than 15,300 good paying construction jobs, a majority going to residents of the Central Valley. As many as 1,700 workers are dispatched to a high-speed rail construction site daily." What Happens Next The rail project is moving into its tracklaying phase this year, following the completion of most of its central infrastructure, Newsweek reported previously.
